Is your nail salon clean? Thirteen in San Antonio fail inspection in one month

by Michael Locklear, News 4 San Antonio

In some cases, the inspector found hair or debris trapped in the screen of the foot spa.

SAN ANTONIO - More than a dozen local nail salons recently failed inspection because the state said they weren’t clean enough, putting people getting manicures and pedicures at risk.

"If you go to a place that's dirty, it’s a possibility that you could get an infection, fungus on your nails and things like that," said Jorge Vega, a state inspector.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation closed 13 cases in San Antonio from Sept. 1 through Oct. 4. TDLR fined the salon owners hundreds of dollars each, all for the same reason – not properly cleaning foot spas. In some cases, the inspector found hair or debris trapped in the screen of the foot spa.

The full list of recent violations related to foot spa cleanliness is below. Note that we contacted each nail salon for comment.

Quoc Vu, co-owner, said the worker was getting cleaning supplies right when the inspector showed up. "For example, I was driving a little bit over speed limit for any reason, and the cop got me at the wrong time and the wrong minute," he said. "This is the same thing that happened to me. One of my technicians did not have enough time to do the cleaning, and the state board showed up at that minute."

• Lavish Nails – 12355 Potranco Road Suite 108, San Antonio, Texas

Tram Nguyen, co-owner, told us the salon hired a plumber to clean the pipes so that debris will no longer backflow into the foot spas. She said her salon now uses disposable liners for an even cleaner experience.

The latest inspection report and the salon's license both must be posted on the wall. One salon manager recommends asking how workers clean. He said reputable ones will be glad to show you the process.